Press Reviews of Compelling American Conversations

…benefit to ESL teachers

“It is the day-to-day language skills that newcomers to the country need more than anything and it is the authors understanding of this premise that makes Compelling American Conversations so successful.”

“Compelling American Conversations is a benefit to ESL teachers as it provides them with an interesting, useful and social tool to teach their students the essential conversation skills necessary to conduct day-to-day lives. The opportunities for interaction and the homework exercises provided give students the necessary exposure to the American English language, which will continue to assist them for years to come.”

…Recommended

“Teaching English as a second language (ESL) can be a demanding profession. Unlike most other subjects such as mathematics, history, or even English for native speakers, successful ESL instruction requires teachers to not simply rely on the knowledge gained in their own academic preparation but to also learn to think in many ways like their students. For example, certain usage norms that the native speaker learns growing up and takes for granted are rarely fully explained in textbooks and often require the teacher to mentally step outside of his or her cultural upbringing when analyzing and discussing them. Finding curriculum which can help the instructor in this challenging process by getting students to speak more and thus reveal any errors is difficult, but the authors’ newest book makes that task a lot easier.”

“One of the reasons this book is so useful is due to the authors’ careful attention to the feedback they received from teachers and students regarding one of their previous works. Like all good instructors they have modified their curriculum to better serve their readers, and their extra effort has resulted in one of the best ESL textbooks on the market today for non-beginners. For instance, while the average curriculum often focuses primarily on grammar, usage, and vocabulary building at the expense of realistic conversation tools, even for intermediate and advanced students, the authors have flipped this approach on its head, concentrating instead on thought-provoking questions and discussion starters that cajole students into taking risks and talking more, thus giving instructors better opportunities to correct errors as they occur. There will never be an ESL textbook that will give every student the confidence to converse, but this one makes a valiant attempt.”

…fun and stimulating

“How can so much learning be in just one book? Compelling American Conversations is all that an ESL teacher or student needs to use in their course. With clear, easy to follow directions, students learn necessary details about American English and culture, practice critical thinking, expand vocabulary and idioms, as they converse in real. natural adult English. Included in the Search and Share component are marvelous lessons on using the Internet. An extra bonus is that any of the conversations, quotes, etc. can be used as writing prompts. The book is fun and stimulating and, fortunately, very accessible for the intermediate learner.”

Planaria Priceauthor Life in the USA and Realistically Speaking

…a gold mine

“For English teachers who wish to help students improve their communication skills, Compelling American Conversations (like Roth’s previous book, Compelling Conversations), is a gold mine—a rich, stimulating learning environment providing virtually endless possibilities for lively conversation which will enhance students’ communications skills quickly and enjoyably. While the focus is on conversation, Compelling American Conversations is much more than a list of conversation starters—it’s an excellent vocabulary book as well. The combination of compelling conversation topics, which students enjoy; new vocabulary, which students crave; and brief grammar reminders, which students need, will get students talking and learning!Compelling American Conversationsis the book I needed when I was a conversation group organizer and is the book I highly recommend to any English teacher in a similar position today.”

Carl W. Hart Author of Rocket English Grammar and The Ultimate Phrasal Verb Book

… I strongly recommend this book

“Compelling American Conversations fills an important gap in adult ESL where speaking skills often receive too little attention. Students want to speak more English in classes, and learn how to have real conversations with their American neighbors and co-workers. Compelling American Conversationsnot only gives adult ESL students many chances to discuss their lives in their English classroom, but it helps immigrants create quality conversations in English outside of school too. I strongly recommend this book for English teachers looking to add more conversation and online exercises to their intermediate ESL classes.”